Teardrops on my Guitar
by littlebluedress016
Summary: Sakura and Sasuke are best friends, but Sakura secretly loves him. She lets it all out the way she knew best: songs.


Anything you recognize isn't mine.

**Teardrops on My Guitar**

"She's really beautiful, Sakura. I really think she's the one. She's also smart. I really think you and her would be great friends."

"She sounds charming, Sasuke."

"You really have to meet her, Sak. She's really great."

"That's- _great_, Sasuke. Can't wait."

Sakura watched as Sasuke waved goodbye and turned away to leave. Her best friend since birth (due to the fact that their mothers are best friends too) was in love. In love. She never thought she'd see the day. But the bitter thing was Sakura wished he was in love with _her_. Not that girl he met only weeks before. The thought left an uneasy feeling in her chest.

"Why can't you see me?" Sakura whispered after him, her eyes glistening. She heaved a sigh as she watched him walk away.

"Sakura!"

The sound of her female best friend made Sakura turn. "Hey, Ino", she said unenthusiastically.

"Why the long face? You should be excited! Aren't you playing the Songwriter's night at the Phoenix Cafe' tomorrow? I hope you've brushed up all your music!" Ino chided her gently.

"I am. But-" Sakura began.

"But Sasuke, isn't it?" Ino said softly, making Sakura gasp in surprise. "How did you-?"

"I know, Forehead. I've known for years", Ino said, wrapping an arm around Sakura. "You and I both know that you've loved Sasuke for years. Why haven't you told him yet?"

"I didn't want to ruin our friendship", Sakura answered simply.

"Yeah, and keeping all this to yourself until you explode is so much better", Ino remarked sarcastically.

"I don't know why I even bother. He obviously likes this girl", Sakura whispered.

"Sak, any guy would be lucky to have you. He's just blind, but don't let that ruin your life. You'll find someone better and more deserving of your love", Ino told her best friend.

"If I could, I would have years ago", Sakura said, annoyed.

"Listen, tomorrow, you're gonna play at that cafe and you're gonna impress everyone. You're gonna be a big star and you're gonna forget that he ignored you for some other girl. You will make him regret choosing her over you. You get that?"

Sakura just nodded. Ino grinned and said, "Now, let's hear them music for tomorrow night!"

Sakura's guitar lay discarded on her bed as she scribbled words into a notepad. She hummed a melody to herself, smiling bitterly at the words she wrote down. A few more strums, a couple more lines and she was finished. She smiled in satisfaction. She heard her phone ring, and picked it up, not bothering to look at the caller id.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sak. I need to tell you something."

"Oh, hey, Sasuke. What is it?" she asked, noting the slight nervous tone he used.

"I can't come tomorrow night. I have something on", he said. Sakura's eyes widened in surprise as she clutched her phone tighter. "Sakura, are you still there?"

"Y-yeah. Why not?" she said, mustering all her strength to keep her voice even.

"Well- I'm going somewhere with my girlfriend."

She wanted to shout 'I've been talking about this since we were six! You blow me off now?', but not wanting to sound selfish, she said, "Okay."

"I want to hear how it goes, though. I know you'll do great, Sak", he said in a sincere tone.

"Yeah. Listen, I have to go", she said, and without waiting for a reply, she hang up, ripped the battery off the phone and went back to her guitar. She didn't realize tears already falling down her cheeks and into her notepad. Hands shaking, she wrote another couple of lines and before she knew it, she was writing a new song.

"Where is she? She was supposed to be here three minutes ago!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at his girlfriend's exaggerations. Ino was pacing back and forth, her hands on her hips. "Ino, it's three minutes, let it go."

"It's not that. I'm really worried about-"

"Worried about what, Ino?" Sakura said, arriving.

"Forehead! I thought you weren't gonna show!" Ino yelped, hugging her. "You look great!"

"Ino, I'm three minutes late, get a grip", Sakura chuckled, twirling so Ino could see the one shouldered white dress she had on. "Thanks for the compliment. I just hope I felt great. But I'm ready to go."

"Good luck, Sakura-chan", Hinata said, hugging Sakura before she settled down on the booth beside her boyfriend Naruto, who just gave Sakura a foxy grin and a peace sign.

"Knock 'em dead Sakura", Tenten said, placing an arm around Sakura's shoulders. Neji looked on, smirking.

"Thanks, you guys, this really means a lot to me", Sakura said. "Take care of my guitar case, will you?" she added, taking the acoustic guitar out of its case and slipping the strap on to her shoulder.

"Sakura-chan!"

Another person joined them. To Sakura's surprise, it was Sasuke's mother, Mikoto, followed by her eldest son, Itachi.

"Aunt Mikoto, Itachi, what are you doing here?" Sakura said as she hugged her 'Aunt'.

"Did you really think we'd miss this?" Itachi asked her, smirking. "You're like my little sister, I won't miss this for the world. Besides, Mom's gonna have a fit if I don't come."

"And the truth comes out", Sakura smiled. "But thanks, that means a lot."

"I know your parents couldn't come, so I'm here to take a video of everything for them!" Mikoto looked around, "Where's Sasuke?"

"He isn't coming", Sakura said in a small voice. "He has something to do."

"What could be more important that this? It's that girl, isn't it?" Mikoto said distastefully. "Don't you worry, sweetie, I'll call him and-"

"No", Sakura cut her off, smiling weakly at the woman who was like a second mother to her. "I don't want to force him into coming. Let him."

Mikoto was about to protest when the owner came over and smiled at Sakura. "Haruno-chan are you ready?"

Sakura looked over at the booth with all her friends and Mikoto, took a deep breath and nodded. The owner clapped her hands excitedly and led Sakura to the stage, where a microphone and a stand were ready for her. Ino smiled encouragingly at Sakura as she walked up the stage, her guitar ready. As she took her place in the stool, the owner grabbed the mic and said, "Welcome to the Phoenix Cafe's weekly Songwriter's night! Tonight, we have a pretty young lady ready to sing for you. Please welcome Haruno Sakura-san!" Applause greeted her words as Sakura smiled at her audience.

"Hi", she began, "my name is Haruno Sakura and tonight I'll be playing for you. I'm a high school student, so most of my songs are inspired by my experiences in school. You know, trying to fit in, falling in love, things like that. So this first song is called 'The Outside'. I probably have to explain why before I sing. I've been picked on for most of my young life. I wasn't the prettiest girl and I had a wide forehead that didn't quite fit proportionally with the rest of my face", she said, chuckling, "and I had experienced being shunned and being teased on a regular basis. Even though I had friends who stood by me, there were people who were mean to me and I found myself wondering how it would be like if I was part of the cool crowd. This song is about that. Being so close you can see them, but you can't join them because you're outside and they're in. So enjoy this song."

She began strumming a lively tune and sang.

"_I didn't know what I would find_

_When I went looking for a reason, I know_

_I didn't read between the lines_

_And, baby, I've got nowhere to go_

_I tried to take the road less travelled by_

_But nothing seems to work the first few times_

_Am I right?_

_So how can I ever try to be better?_

_Nobody ever lets me in_

_I can still see you, this ain't the best view_

_On the outside looking in_

_I've been a lot of lonely places_

_I've never been on the outside"_

At this point, Ino and Naruto both stood up and gave her a cheer. Half the cafe turned and laughed, including Sakura.

"_You saw me there, but never knew_

_I would give it all up to be_

_A part of this, a part of you_

_And now it's all too late so you see_

_You could've helped if you had wanted to_

_But no one notices until it's too_

_Late to do anything_

_So how can I ever try to be better?_

_Nobody ever lets me in_

_I can still see you, this ain't the best view_

_On the outside looking in_

_I've been a lot of lonely places_

_I've never been on the outside_

_So how can I ever try to be better?_

_Nobody ever lets me in_

_I can still see you, this ain't the best view_

_On the outside looking in_

_I've been a lot of lonely places_

_I've never been on the outside"_

Sakura finished strumming the last few chords, meeting tremendous applause from the audience and catcalls from her friends. She smiled at them gratefully. "So I hope you liked that one. The next two are called 'Today was a Fairytale' and 'Fearless' respectively. Both talking about perfect first dates. First dates I never had yet", she laughed, "But ones I wish I would have."

"_Today was a fairytale__  
><em>_You were the prince__  
><em>_I used to be a damsel in distress__  
><em>_You took me by the hand and you picked me up at six__  
><em>_Today was a fairytale_

_Today was a fairytale_

_Today was a fairytale__  
><em>_I wore a dress__  
><em>_You wore a dark grey t-shirt__  
><em>_You told me I was pretty when I looked like a mess__  
><em>_Today was a fairytale__  
><em>_Time slows down whenever you're around"_

Ino was already swaying. "Sakura's new material is awesome. When did she start writing songs like this?" she said as Sakura continued to sing. "Dunno", replied Tenten casually. "But I do like this one. Reminds me of my first date!"

"Was it Neji?" Ino asked, smirking.

"Maybe", Tenten said, grinning evilly.

"What?" Neji turned, making the two giggle loudly.

_"Today was a fairytale__  
><em>_You've got a smile that takes me to another planet__  
><em>_Every move you make everything you say is right__  
><em>_Today was a fairytale__  
><em>_Today was a fairytale__  
><em>_All that I can say is it's getting so much clearer__  
><em>_Nothing made sense until the time I saw your face_

_Today was a fairytale_

_Time slows down whenever you're around__  
><em>_Yeah yeah_

_But can you feel this magic in the air?__  
><em>_It must have been the way you kissed me__  
><em>_Fell in love when I saw you standing there__  
><em>_It must have been the way__  
><em>_Today was a fairytale__  
><em>_It must have been the way__  
><em>_Today was a fairytale_

_Time slows down whenever you're around__  
><em>_I can feel my heart__  
><em>_It's beating in my chest__  
><em>_Did you feel it?__  
><em>_I can't put this down_

_But can you feel this magic in the air?__  
><em>_It must have been the way you kissed me__  
><em>_Fell in love when I saw you standing there__  
><em>_It must have been the way__  
><em>_But can you feel this magic in the air?__  
><em>_It must have been the way you kissed me__  
><em>_Fell in love when I saw you standing there__  
><em>_It must have been the way__  
><em>_Today was a fairytale__  
><em>_It must have been the way__  
><em>_Today was a fairytale"_

The crowd applauded her again. She smiled at them before continuing to her next song.

"_There's somethin' 'bout the way__  
><em>_The street looks when it's just rained__  
><em>_There's a glow off the pavement__  
><em>_Walk me to the car__  
><em>_And you know I wanna ask you to dance right there__  
><em>_In the middle of the parking lot__  
><em>_Yeah_

_We're drivin' down the road__  
><em>_I wonder if you know__  
><em>_I'm tryin' so hard not to get caught up now__  
><em>_But you're just so cool__  
><em>_Run your hands through your hair__  
><em>_Absent mindedly makin' me want you_

_And I don't know how it gets better than this__  
><em>_You take my hand and drag me head first__  
><em>_Fearless__  
><em>_And I don't know why but with you I'd dance__  
><em>_In a storm in my best dress__  
><em>_Fearless"_

She stood up from the stool and began swaying to the music. "Go Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled. "Thanks, Naruto!" Sakura yelled back. Naruto gave her one of his foxy grins as he sat back down.

_"So baby drive slow__  
><em>_'Til we run out of road in this one horse town__  
><em>_I wanna stay right here in this passenger's seat__  
><em>_You put your eyes on me__  
><em>_In this moment now capture it remember it_

_And I don't know how it gets better than this__  
><em>_You take my hand and drag me head first__  
><em>_Fearless__  
><em>_And I don't know why but with you I'd dance__  
><em>_In a storm in my best dress__  
><em>_Fearless"_

Sakura's strumming became more powerful as she danced around the stage, losing herself in the song.

_"Well you stood there with me in the doorway__  
><em>_my hands shake__  
><em>_I'm not usually this way but__  
><em>_You pull me in & I'm a little more brave__  
><em>_It's the first kiss, it's flawless, really somethin', it's fearless._

_And I don't know how it gets better than this__  
><em>_You take my hand and drag me head first__  
><em>_Fearless__  
><em>_And I don't know why but with you I'd dance__  
><em>_In a storm in my best dress__  
><em>_Fearless"__  
><em>

"So by now, you probably figured out that I'm in love", Sakura said into the microphone. "And the only reason I'm telling you this is because this person isn't here. He won't hear it and I don't intend on making him. But for now, I'm going to drift away from the whole love thing and sing something I wrote a little while back. When I was a little girl, I used to fantasize about growing up. I couldn't wait to get away from my parents' control. Not because I don't like it there, believe me, I love my folks. But I want to see for myself how well I would fare on my own. But something I realized now, I'd rather be a kid, where feelings aren't so complicated, when your best friend is just your best friend and nothing could hurt you as long as your mommy was around. This song tells that story. I was imagining what moving out would be like, what growing up would be like and how different it would be from having your parents around all the time. This is called 'Never Grow Up' and the perspective of the narrator really depends on what you see it. It could be a mother, it could be an elder sister... But the audience can only be one person. A little girl."

Instead of strumming, she began plucking at the strings, building a lullaby-like melody. When she began singing, it was soft, almost like a whisper.

"_Your little hands wrapped around my finger _

_And, it's so quiet in the world tonight _

_Your little eyelids flutter cause you're dreaming _

_So, I tuck you in _

_Turn on your favourite night light _

_To you, everything's funny _

_You got nothing to regret _

_I'd give all I had, honey _

_If you could stay like that _

_Oh, darling don't you ever grow up _

_Don't you ever grow up _

_Just stay this little _

_Oh, darling don't you ever grow up _

_Don't you ever grow up _

_It can stay this simple _

_I won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart _

_And no one will desert you _

_Just try to never grow up, and never grow up"_

The audience was quiet, hanging on to her every word. They listened intently, even Naruto, who had his eyes close and seemed like he was inhaling every word. Ino was clutching Shikamaru's arm as she seemed to hold back words she wanted to voice out, as if afraid to ruin the moment.

"_You're in the car on the way to the movies _

_And, you're mortified _

_You're mom's dropping you off _(at this Ino said loudly, "Hell yeah!" earning looks from others, making her blush and say, "She was honking her horn to announce my arrival! That has got to be illegal!")

_At, fourteen there's just so much you can't do _

_And you can't wait to move out someday and call your own shots _

_But, don't make her drop you off around the block _

_Remember that she's getting older too _

_And don't lose the way that you dance around in your PJ's getting ready for school _

_Oh, darling don't you ever grow up _

_Don't you ever grow up _

_Just stay this little _

_Oh, darling don't you ever grow up _

_Don't you ever grow up _

_It can stay this simple _

_And no one's ever burned you _

_Nothing's ever left you scarred _

_And even though you want to _

_Just try to never grow up _

_Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room _

_Memorize what it sounded like when your dad get's home _

_Remember the footsteps, remember the words said _

_And all you're little brother's favourite songs _

_I just realized everything I had is someday gonna be gone _

_So, here I am in my new apartment _

_In a big city, they just dropped me off _

_It's so much colder than I thought it would be _

_So, I tucked myself in and turned my night light on _

_Wish I'd never grown up _

_I wish I'd never grown up _

_Oh, I don't wanna grow up _

_Wish I'd never grown up _

_Could still be little _

_Oh, I don't wanna grow up _

_Wish I'd never grown up _

_It could still be simple _

_Oh, darling don't you ever grow up _

_Don't you ever grow up _

_Just stay this little _

_Oh, darling don't you ever grow up _

_Don't you ever grow up _

_It can stay this simple _

_Won't let nobody hurt you _

_Won't let no one break your heart _

_And even you want to _

_Please, try to never grow up _

_Oh, whoa _

_Don't you ever grow up _

_Oh, whoa _

_Never grow up _

_Just never grow up"_

Some of the older women, mostly those in their late twenties and early thirties were tearing up, probably reminiscing the time they moved out too. "Thank you so much", Sakura said as they showered her with applause. "I didn't get to say this before, but I want to thank you all for coming tonight. Especially to my friends, who are probably the most amazing bunch of people I know. Anyone would be so lucky knowing these guys. Thanks for moving all your activities tonight to watch me sing here. I love you guys, you're like the brothers and sisters I never had. And to my Aunt Mikoto, for being here tonight and taking videos for my parents, who, unfortunately, couldn't come tonight. Thanks so much."

She returned to her stool and grabbed the bottle of water on the small table beside it. She took a sip and turned her attention back to her guitar. "So I have three more songs to play for you guys. Two are love songs and the last one is a sort-of love song. But the next two I will be playing were both written recently. Last night, in fact. I only intended to write one, but something happened that made me pick up my guitar and write another one. Before I play, I want to tell you a bit of the background story. I have this friend", she said. Her friends all let out audible gasps, making her look at them again. "What?" she asked innocently.

"You are not gonna tell the story, are you?" Ino demanded, jumping out of her seat.

"Why not? He's not here", Sakura shrugged.

"She's gonna tell the story", Tenten said disbelievingly, while Hinata just smiled.

Sakura laughed. "I have this friend. He was my best friend for the longest time-"

"Ahem."

"My _male _best friend", Sakura corrected, raising an eyebrow at Ino. "Anyway, I had the biggest crush on him and he never knew. I didn't want to jeopardize our friendship by telling him I was in love with him, so I kept quiet while he sits next to me and talks to me every single day. About his girlfriend", gasps were heard from the audience, "I know, right?" she laughed bitterly, "Anyway, this song is my way of telling him indirectly. I had to listen to him go on about how perfect she was and I would just nod my head absently going, 'Oh, that's great' and 'Yeah, I know'. So he will never know. I guess I'll always be invisible to him. He's the cause of my first heartbreak. This one is called 'Teardrops on my Guitar'. Enjoy."

She plucked again, instead of strumming, a soft, ballad-like tune.

"_He looks at me, I fake a smile so he won't see_

_That I want and I'm needing everything that we should be_

_I'll bet she's beautiful, that girl he talks about_

_And she's got everything that I have to live without_

_He talks to me, I laugh 'cause it's so damn funny_

_That I can't even see anyone when he's with me_

_He says he's so in love, he's finally got it right_

_I wonder if he knows he's all I think about at night_

_He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar_

_The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star_

_He's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I do"_

She took a deep breath and tried to stop the tears threatening to fall. 'Oh, damn', she thought as she felt the droplets falling down her cheeks.

"_He walks by me, can he tell that I can't breathe?_

_And there he goes, so perfectly_

_The kind of flawless I wish I could be_

_She'd better hold him tight, give him all her love_

_Look in those beautiful eyes and know she's lucky cause_

_He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar_

_The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star_

_He's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I do_

_So I drive home alone, as I turn out the light_

_I'll put his picture down and maybe_

_Get some sleep tonight_

_He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar_

_The only one who's got enough of me to break my heart?_

_He's the song in the car I keep singing don't know why I do_

_He's the time taken up but there's never enough_

_And he's all that I need to fall into..._

_He looks at me, I fake a smile so he won't see."_

The crowd gave her a standing ovation, most of them moved to tears. She looked at them wide eyed as the cheering got louder, led by her friends, of course. She bowed, and smiled widely. "Thanks so much", she said gratefully. "The next one is called 'Invisible', and it's practically the same thing with different lyrics."

"_She can't see the way your eyes_

_Light up when you smile_

_She'll never notice how you stop and stare whenever she walks by_

_And you can't see me wanting you the way you want her_

_But you are everything to me _

_And I just wanna show you she don't even know you_

_She's never gonna love you like I want to_

_And you just see right through me_

_But if you only knew me_

_We could be a beautiful miracle, unbelievable_

_Instead of just invisible _

_Yeah, mmm _

_There's a fire inside of you_

_That can't help but shine through_

_She's never gonna see the light_

_No matter what you do_

_And all I think about is how to make you think of me_

_And everything that we could be _

_And I just wanna show you she don't even know you_

_She's never gonna love you like I want to_

_And you just see right through me_

_But if you only knew me_

_We could be a beautiful miracle, unbelievable_

_Instead of just invisible _

_Like shadows in a faded light_

_Oh, were invisible_

_I just wanna look in your eyes_

_And make you realize _

_I just wanna show you she don't even know you_

_Baby let me love you, let me want you _

_You just see right through me_

_But if you only knew me_

_We could be a beautiful miracle, unbelievable_

_Instead of just invisible _

_She can't see the way your eyes_

_Light up when you smile..."_

"Am I too late?"

Sasuke arrived at their booth, causing Ino to glare angrily at him. "You twit, how dare you?" she growled.

"Teme, you're in deep trouble now", Naruto said, "how could you? Even Neji was here! This is Sakura's biggest moment, and you blew her off for some chick? What's that about?"

Before Sasuke could explain himself, Sakura stood up from the stool again after drinking some water, not noticing the latest addition to her audience. "So now you heard all about how I'm falling for the wrong guy. But I want to end this showcase on a happy note. This last song, as I told you, is a sort-of love song. For my friends", as she said it, Naruto and Ino stopped their banter and turned to the stage, grinning. "For being there for me from the beginning until now. For always believing in my dreams and for helping me reach them. For all the adventures we had and yet to have. I said this a million times and I'll say it a million more. I love you guys. Thank you for standing by me. This is called 'Long Live', in parentheses, 'We Will Be Remembered'."

She strummed her guitar, with a steady rhythm.

"_I say remember this moment_

_In the back of my mind_

_The time we stood with our shaking hands_

_The crowds in stands went wild_

_We were the kings and the queens_

_And they read off our names_

_The night you danced like you knew our lives_

_Would never be the same_

_You held your head like a hero_

_On a history book page_

_It was the end of a decade_

_But the start of an age_

_Long live the walls we crashed through_

_All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you_

_I was screaming, "Long live all the magic we made"_

_And bring on all the pretenders_

_One day we will be remembered"_

Her friends stood up, waving their hands in the air. Encouraged by their support, she strummed harder, stepping into the rhythm.

"_I said remember this feeling_

_I passed the pictures around_

_Of all the years that we stood there on the sidelines_

_Wishing for right now_

_We are the kings and the queens_

_You traded your baseball cap for a crown_

_When they gave us our trophies_

_And we held them up for our town_

_And the cynics were outraged_

_Screaming, "This is absurd"_

_'Cause for a moment a band of thieves in ripped up jeans got to rule the world_

_Long live the walls we crashed through_

_All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you_

_I was screaming, "Long live all the magic we made"_

_And bring on all the pretenders_

_I'm not afraid_

_Long live all the mountains we moved_

_I had the time of my life_

_Fighting dragons with you_

_I was screaming, "Long live the look on your face"_

_And bring on all the pretenders_

_One day we will be remembered_

_Hold on to spinning around_

_Confetti falls to the ground_

_May these memories break our fall_

_And you take a moment_

_Promise me this:_

_That you'll stand by me forever_

_But if God forbid fate should step in_

_And force us into a goodbye_

_If you have children someday_

_When they point to the pictures_

_Please tell them my name_

_Tell them how the crowds went wild_

_Tell them how I hope they shine"_

"Hell yeah!" Naruto cried, pumping his fist in the air. Then he began singing along, loudly and very off key, but Sakura motioned for him to come up on stage. He jumped up and ran to her, still grinning like an idiot, but Sakura didn't mind. She continued the song, singing the next lines softer as Naruto came up on stage.

"_Long live the walls we crashed through_

_I had the time of my life with you"_

Naruto joined in, loudly and with wrong lyrics (most of them saying: "Ramen, oh, I love ramen, I'm gonna be king of the ramen on earth"), but the crowd gave them a standing ovation anyway. Sasuke watched on as she danced on stage with her guitar, moving as if she was alone in her room.

"The crowd loves her", Ino said fondly. Mikoto nodded, her video camera still poised, taking videos.

"_Long, long live the walls we crashed through_

_All the candlelight shined just for me and you_

_And I was screaming, "long live all the magic we made"_

_And bring on all the pretenders_

_I'm not afraid_

_Singing long live all the mountains we moved_

_I had the time of my life_

_Fighting dragons with you_

_And long, long live the look on your face_

_And bring on all the pretenders_

_One day we will be remembered"_

She ended the song and the audience clapped their hands again. She took a bow as Ino, Hinata and Tenten all jumped up to congratulate her. Shikamaru was too lazy to get up and Neji was too busy acting cool, but clapped nonetheless.

"Again, our featured songwriter, Haruno Sakura-san!" the owner announced into the microphone. Applause started again as Sakura took her final bows.

"Congrats, Forehead! That was unbelievable!" Ino shrieked.

"Thanks, Pig", Sakura said. "I have to admit, that was kind of scary."

"You did great, Sakura!" Tenten added and Hinata nodded. "You were amazing, Sakura-chan."

"Excuse me, Haruno-san? Hi, I'm Hongo Yuri, and I would like to invite you for a meeting with Sony Records next week and I'll be calling you in the next two days. I think our label would be glad to sign you on", said a well dressed blond woman as she handed her calling card to a speechless Sakura.

"T-thank you so much", she stammered blankly. The woman gave her a smile and walked away.

When she was out of earshot, the four girls screamed out loud. "Oh my gosh, Sakura! You're hitting the big time!" Ino screamed.

"I'm really happy for you, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, wrapping his arm around Hinata's waist.

"Hands off my cousin, Uzumaki", Neji snarled, appearing behind Naruto.

"Neji, you bastard, don't do that! You scared me!" Naruto said, withdrawing his hand.

As the two bickered on, Sakura felt a light tap on the shoulder.

"Top notch, Sakura", Itachi said, pulling her into a hug. "By any chance, was that my brother you were talking about?" he added in an undertone.

"I don't know what you mean", she said, innocently, but the spark in her eye made Itachi chuckle.

"Great job, little girl", Itachi said, ruffling her hair.

"Thanks, old man", she said jokingly.

"Sakura."

The voice made her jump. She turned to Itachi who made a sign that says, 'I'll be going'.

"I thought you're going out with her tonight", Sakura said.

"I was, but then I realized one thing", Sasuke told her, not meeting her eyes.

"What?"

"That I don't love her", he admitted.

Sakura couldn't hide her surprise. "But you were always telling me that she was perfect."

"When I tell you that, I feel like I'm convincing myself as much as I'm convincing you. The only reason I went out with her was because my father asked me to. To get on her father's good side. It was all for business. She might be a nice girl, but she's not you."

Sakura hugged him. "If you only heard what I was singing just now", she giggled as she let go.

"Why?"

"Nothing."

"Tell me!"

"Nothing!"

He pulled her back into his arms, unaware of anyone else in the room.

"Mom, are you taping this?" Itachi asked his mother, who was smiling, her video camera recording every moment of Sasuke and Sakura's exchange.

"I told Sakura's parents that I would film everything and damn it, I _will_ film everything!"

"Mom", Itachi said, exasperatedly, shaking his head. "Let them have their moment!"

"He's my son, I have invasion rights", Mikoto said stubbornly.

Just then Naruto spoke up.

"We _are_ getting ramen after this, right?"

::::::::::::::::::::::::

This turned out differently that I planned. *sweatdrop* I was only gonna use "Teardrops on My Guitar" (don't ask, I was reliving the rejection), but my sister watched this documentary on E about Taylor Swift and they mentioned her playing the Bluebird cafe in Nashville, as a featured songwriter, and it kinda wrote itself after that. I hope the song choices are good enough, though. Apparently, my Taylor Swift obsession hasn't ebbed yet, so bear with me.

Please review! I'll accept it in any form, length (though I'd love long detailed ones) and content. I already know it's pathetic. Though if you plan on being mean, you can drop it anyway, and I'll ignore you, kay?


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